


It's Raining Somewhere Else

by Lacy_Star



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Ghostbur, gotta love that dynamic babey B), sleepy bois inc - Freeform, this is literally a glorified character study
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28188135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lacy_Star/pseuds/Lacy_Star
Summary: Ranboo had just settled in when he heard an, “ahem” behind his shoulder, followed by a very polite, very echoey, “Excuse me, Ranboo, would you mind if I stayed here for a minute? I feel a bit dreary.”He had been staring down at a blank page in his journal before the guest had spoken. Now he turned to face it, already recognizing the voice. “Ghostbur? Oh!”The phantom, in simplest terms, was melting.---AKA: Wilbur stops by Ranboo's house during a downpour to dry off, and Ranboo walks him home while they talk about family and the future. Ranboo realizes he's a bit more lonely than he thought he was.
Relationships: Dave | Technoblade & TommyInnit, Ranboo & Wilbur Soot
Comments: 74
Kudos: 915
Collections: Ranboo Is Best Boi





	It's Raining Somewhere Else

**Author's Note:**

> Please do not plagiarize or steal any of my work.

If one were to look outside and see needles dropping point down from the clouds, that would be about equivalent to what Ranboo saw when he looked out into a downpour of rain.

He supposed it could be far worse. For most “endermen,” it would be more like seeing flaming daggers. Given Ranboo was only half, it wasn’t nearly as painful.

That wasn’t to say he’d subject himself to it willingly. It was days like this one, when the clouds mottled the sky like a botched painting, when there was an occasional growl of thunder from the frustrated horizon, when ants marveled at the sudden appearance of such vast oceans outside their anthills (which, to humans, piglins, anthropomorphic foxes, or half-endermen looked simply to be puddles), when frogs frisked through the grass like a waterpark, and when roofs became drum sets for the sky, that Ranboo wanted nothing more than to curl up next to a fire with a mug of something hot and filling, blanket over his shoulders, journal in hand, and relax.

That was the plan. He’d nearly slept in because of how dark it was outside. The world seemed groggy on days like this, like it couldn’t even commit itself to roll out of bed.

Ranboo felt like that a lot these days. He wished Tommy was around to wake him up.

Nevertheless, the plan was to write. Ever since the Butcher Army incident, he’d had a lot to catch up on. The day had been a bit overwhelming and he’d simply taken some time off to collect his thoughts. But now that he’d been given an excuse to stay in, he truly couldn’t avoid it. It was time to keep records before he forgot.

He’d just settled in when he heard an, “ahem” behind his shoulder, followed by a very polite, very echoey, “Excuse me, Ranboo, would you mind if I stayed here for a minute? I feel a bit dreary.”

Ranboo had been staring down at a blank page before the guest had spoken. Now he turned to face it, already recognizing the voice. “Ghostbur? _Oh!_ ”

The phantom, in simplest terms, was melting. Wilbur looked like an ink drawing that had been hosed down. Of course, to say he had much color to him in the first place was inaccurate, but he looked more translucent than ever. The yellow of his sweater dripped to the floor like wet paint and seemed to trail down the black of his pants. The top half of him was barely an outline, the bottom half a runny mess.

Ranboo rushed to his feet, and though it was hard to see Wilbur’s face, he could hear the melancholy smile in his voice, “Oh, it’s okay. Just give me a minute and I’ll be back like new.” His voice sounded more faded than ever.

“What happened!?” Ranboo asked in alarm.

“Oh, well, remembered how I said I melt in the rain? And you said you can’t go in it either? Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’s a bit of a drizzle outside.”

“Drizzle” was an understatement. It wasn’t storming, but it was a definite downpour.

Ranboo waved him over towards the fireplace. “God… okay, come sit!”

“Thank you!” Wilbur said cordially as he took a seat by the fire, “This is lovely! You really have nice interior decor.”

Ranboo laughed nervously, because that shouldn’t have been the concern. “Thanks… Are you warm enough?”

“I’m perfectly alright, Ranboo, don’t worry.”

He seemed to tell the truth. Wilbur had left a trail of dripped essence as he’d made his way across the floor to sit, but now as he warmed up, Ranboo watched as the droplets snaked their way through the grooves in the wood, making their way back to the ghost before sucking back into his form. Already, he seemed to be regaining a bit of his color.

“Did you get caught outside?” Ranboo couldn’t help but ask, “Were you too far away from a house to duck inside?”

Wilbur shrugged. “No. I just had a very important errand to run and I was so excited to be on my way that I just… went on anyways.”

How important of an errand must it have been for Wilbur to subject himself to such a thing, Ranboo wondered. “You mean you went out _willingly_?”

“Well, yes!”

“For what!?”

Enough color had returned to Wilbur’s face for Ranboo to see just how his eyes lit up. He waved his hand and hovered a finger in midair, and though Ranboo couldn’t see what he was pointing at he figured he was searching through his inventory. “Well Ranboo, you see,” He started, “You see— you remember how I’m not allowed back in my sewer anymore, you remember that? Because of the council—“

Ranboo cut him off, “I remember that, yeah.” Yes, the green, masked, godly “council” had definitely evicted Wilbur. He didn’t have the heart to tell him.

“Well, I never had the chance to go back and collect my things, and you know how I’m neighbors with Techno now?”

The last Ranboo had seen Techno, Wilbur had mentioned building a house next to him, and Techno had allowed him without second thought. That was interesting about Techno; Ranboo had been led to believe that the bloodthirsty monster, self proclaimed _god_ wouldn’t want to be neighbors with an all-too-cheerful spirit. Hell, Ranboo was surprised he’d let loud, reckless little Tommy room with him. Because if Techno wasn’t being violent, it seemed he wanted to be alone.

But then again, the man had faced execution because he wanted his damn _horse_ back _._ Ranboo wasn’t sure if any of the rumors he’d heard in L’manberg of Techno being heartless were true at that point.

Governments were difficult.

Remembering to respond, he nodded. “Is it coming along?”

“Swimmingly! Much cozier than my sewer, though I did feel a bit nostalgic when I stopped by.” Wilbur tapped the air in front of him and summoned a leather-bound book to his hand, “But this one has a library that’s twice as big, and that’s— that’s just my _favorite_. That’s why I had to stop by!” He thrust the book into Ranboo’s hands. In gold lettering, the cover read, “ _What I Need To Remember_ ”. Ranboo noted, however, that it wasn’t signed— it must have been incomplete.

“Actually, this is great that I’ve come here! I have some books to give you,” Wilbur continued, summoning a few more books to his hand.

Ranboo wanted to flip open the manuscript in his hand, but he resisted. “You do?”

“Well you’re in charge of note keeping, right?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, great! Well, you see Ranboo, when I used to live in my sewer, my library… it had some personal books, and those— those are the ones I need to take with me to my new home, that’s why I came…” He set down a couple contracts, declarations, and books down in front of Ranboo, “But I also had some more, eh… ‘historical’ documents for L’manberg that I was in charge of keeping. But since I’m not in L’manberg anymore and you seem to be in charge of paperwork, I figured it would be more useful for you to have them!”

“Oh.” Ranboo glanced down at the stack, then at the book in his hand. More things to sort. Yay, “That’s... a good idea. Thanks. You can just set them over there.” He nodded his head towards a nearby table, and with a happy hum Wilbur scooped the stack up and brought took them over.

Wilbur seemed to notice how Ranboo was studying the unfinished work in his hand. “That’s my latest project you’re holding!” He called over, “You can look at it if you’d like!”

Ranboo glanced up to him with a grateful nod before flipping the journal open. The first page simply read, “ _Things I Need To Remember,_ ” and the line under it, “ _By Ghostbur”._

The second page appeared to be a bulleted list. Ranboo read through it, and it read as follows:

_\- Alivebur was a bad person_

_\- Be kind to everyone’s pets_

_\- Keep Phil away from baby zombies_

_\- Tommy loves Tubbo_

_\- Tubbo loves Tommy_

_\- Bad doesn’t like swearing_

_\- Fundy wants to go fishing_

_\- Fundy doesn’t want me to take him fishing_

_\- Fundy doesn’t want me around_

_\- Don’t step on Niki’s flowers_

_\- Tommy needs blue_

_\- If someone is sad, give them blue_

_\- Tommy needs a lot of blue_

_\- Get more blue for Tommy_

_\- Hand out party invitations for Tommy_

_\- Dream is handling party invitations don’t worry about that one :)_

_\- Become un-lost so I can find Tommy_

_\- I found Tommy don’t worry about that one :)_

_\- Find Friend :(_

_\- Don’t step on Techno’s turtle eggs_

_\- Don’t build towers outside of Techno’s house_

And the last one, which appeared to be written so recently and hastily that the ink was wet and smudged, read:

_\- Rain hurts Ranboo_

Ranboo blinked in surprise as Wilbur settled back in front of him. “What… is this?” He asked slowly.

“Well you see,” Wilbur started, “I have another book which is a list of all the things I remember from when I was alive, and that’s good and all, but I’m worried that I might forget something important somehow. So I’ve started to keep track of things that everyone needs and likes so that way I can always be helpful.” He smiled, but his voided eyes seemed distant and sad. Whenever Wilbur talked, Ranboo always got the sense that he carried with him a sense of gentle concern, like he was constantly checking if the person he was talking to was alright, or as if he was remembering a bittersweet memory. “Alivebur wasn’t helpful. I want to be helpful.”

Ranboo’s eyes trailed down. “ _Rain hurts Ranboo._ ” He wasn’t expecting to be so important to have a note all to himself. “You wrote about me?”

“Oh yes, I added that one before I left the sewers just now! That’s to make sure that— y’know, if we’re ever having a dinner party, we don’t invite you on a rainy day so you’ll be safe!”

Ranboo felt strangely moved. He hadn’t felt such a sensation since Tommy bluffed for him in court. These days, everything seemed somewhat numb.

Slowly he handed the book back over. Wilbur was looking back to his normal self, color and all, which was an immense relief. “… Thank you. For making sure you remember that.”

Wilbur flashed him a wide grin as the book vanished. “You’re worth remembering!”

People weren’t polite in L’manberg. He’d grown so unfamiliar with kind words that Wilbur’s sentiment genuinely took him by surprise. He remembered when he’d visited Techno and Tommy with Wilbur, and noticing how, even if they never truly talked about it, they slotted naturally together as a family. Ranboo had felt strangely isolated then, watching from the outside as they bickered and defended each other all at once, yelling one moment but fending each other off the next (though that was mostly Techno, to be fair). But in the rare moment when they looked up at the moon together, or when he and Techno bonded over their antisocial tendencies, or when Wilbur and him had shared their amnesia stories, or even when Tommy and him had argued and he’d had to knock it into the dumb kid’s skull that he cared for him, there was a sliver of something there that Ranboo had craved another taste of ever since. An inclusion he hadn’t felt since…

Since.

Wilbur grinning at him was making him feel included and isolated all at once, just the same as he had felt then. He glanced out the window. In the distance, a L’manberg flag hung sadly off of Phil’s house, where he was still under arrest, soggy from rain and ripped from repeated exposure to the elements.

He wondered, briefly, how much real estate cost around Techno’s house for those who weren’t family.

“Well,” Wilbur said, standing up, “Thank you for letting me dry off! I’ll be on my way now—“ He was already heading for the door.

Ranboo rushed to his feet in alarm. “Wait— you’re going out there _again?_ ”

Wilbur paused and turned to him. “It won’t be enough to melt me. If I made it here from Techno’s, I’ll make it back easy.”

“But what if the rain gets _worse_?”

Wilbur glanced down at his translucent form, smile faltering before returning twice as strong. “Hopefully that won’t happen!”

“No—“ Ranboo instantly objected, “No, if you really have to get home quickly, I’ll come with you.”

Wilbur cocked his head to the side, not unlike a puppy. “But the rain hurts you, too!”

Ranboo went to the door and, off of a hook next to the window, grabbed a large umbrella. He rarely used it, as even with it on hand he didn’t like braving the elements, but if there was ever a time to break it out, it was at that moment.

Pathetic, Ranboo thought bitterly in the back of his head, that he’d go out in a downpour just because he’d been told he was worth remembering. He hadn’t realized how comforting those words were to hear. But he supposed violence was the trend in their world, and Ranboo, quite honestly, didn’t have many friends. He supposed Tommy was his closest friend, but even he frequently yelled at or insulted him for not coming to his party because Dream stole the invites, or for giving him a pity pickaxe that wasn’t out of pity but Tommy thought it was because Dream had told him nobody liked him, and honestly, Ranboo knew Tommy wasn’t to blame for his aggressiveness these days, because holy shit that kid had been through some hell Ranboo couldn’t even begin to fathom, but it still wasn’t the nicest feeling for your closest friend to be such a constant dick to you.

Wilbur was soft and sweet. Not just to him, but to the world. The least he could do was walk him home. It was what he deserved.

“Oh, that’s alright,” The ghost was reassuring, “I don’t want to disrupt you! You seemed busy when I walked in.”

“It can wait,” Ranboo assured, “Just more paperwork. I want to make sure you get home safe.”

Wilbur’s brow knit softly. “Are you sure?”

It was bad luck to open umbrellas inside, apparently, but Ranboo wasn’t going to risk opening the door and getting pelted by water before he could get his shield ready. The umbrella had a generous span when he unfurled it, quite roomy enough for the both of them. Ranboo had made sure he’d gotten a wide one to have more protection. A wise choice.

At this, Wilbur gave him a sweet, earnest smile, the kindest Ranboo had ever seen on him, and came to hover beside him. Ranboo braced himself before opening the door and heading outside.

Occasionally a raindrop hit him, but with his clothes as an extra barrier, he was doing quite alright. Wilbur stayed close to him as they made their way down the prime path and away from the city on stilts. Ranboo was distantly grateful that most others had taken the initiative to stay inside today— if he were seen going to the enemy’s house, he’d be dead on his doorstep upon his return.

“Do you remember the way?” Ranboo asked softly. The last time they’d tried to find Techno’s house together, they’d gotten so horridly lost it was embarrassing.

“Yes! I’ve been back and forth a few more times, so I know the way. Don’t worry.”

Ranboo nodded in reassurance. He kept glancing to Wilbur to ensure he was keeping pace and staying out of the rain.

For the sake of small talk and curiosity, he asked, “Does it hurt when the rain melts you?”

“No,” Wilbur said, “I don’t really feel pain anymore, because I’m dead.” He paused, raising a hand and clutching at his chest as he stared off into the distance. “Well, that’s not totally true. Sometimes my ribs sting where Phil stabbed me. Kind of a phantom ache. I doubt it will ever go away.”

“… I’m sorry,” Ranboo offered, for a lack of better word.

Wilbur just shrugged, “It’s alright. Most of the time I hardly feel it.” Then he smiled at Ranboo. “How does the rain feel for you?”

“Oh…” Ranboo’s eyes dropped to the wet grass, his shoes making a constant squelch against the damp ground, “Kind of… Kind of like paper cuts. All over.”

“Oh dear…” Wilbur frowned and edged away from him, as if to make sure Ranboo had enough cover under the umbrella, “That sounds awful..”

“For most endermen, I hear it’s like having hot embers dropped on you. So… I’m not really complaining.”

Wilbur nodded sagely. “It’s so fascinating how something necessary for life can be so harmful to it as well.” He paused, glancing off to the side, “I’ve been thinking about things like that a lot lately. Like the sun, too! It burns humans if they’re in it too long!”

Ranboo wasn’t aware of that. He wasn’t sure what to say, just letting the ghost continue.

“But, y’know, everything is so busy around here and like, y’know, once you don’t get to see as much nature, you really miss it, even if its a bitch sometimes. That’s why I was so excited for the vacation with Tommy— Lads On Tour, you know? A nice— a nice little getaway home.”

Ranboo navigated around a small pond as they strayed into a forest. The leaves overhead shielded them further from the rain, and Ranboo wished he could curl up in a hole of a sturdy tree trunk like a squirrel and nap until the rain had passed. “Sure…”

“And Techno is so isolated that being with him is nice, but it’s so snowy and everything’s so dead…” Wilbur turned his head towards the sky, holding a hand out from under the umbrella to catch a raindrop. It landed on his phantom skin and turned grey as it trailed down his wrist. Ranboo cringed instinctually at how painful that must have felt, but Wilbur just smiled, not feeling a thing. “I miss the rain.”

“But it hurts you…” Ranboo reminded patiently.

“Oh, I know. It’s unfortunate. But isn’t it pretty to watch?”

Ranboo chuckled, grip tightening on the umbrella’s handle. “I see it as more of a nuisance.”

“Well, I mean, not when you stand in it, just when you’re looking at it!”

Ranboo was looking now, and didn’t see the appeal. In fact, the closer they got to Techno’s tundra, the colder the air got, and the rain made it all the more unpleasant.

“I remember good things, right?” Wilbur persisted, “Happy things! And… I was thinking on my way over… back when I was a kid, I slept in Phil’s attic, and it was nice and close to the roof… so whenever it stormed I could hear the rain so well…” He closed his eyes, smiling, and going silent for a moment to let the patter of rain on the umbrella echo, between them, listening to it intently. “And it would always help me sleep.” His eyes flew open again. “And— and also! When it was pouring and it was too cold for me and Techno to go outside— and you know how boring that can be for kids, to be trapped inside all day— we’d sit by the window and choose raindrops to race against each other, and see which one made it to the bottom of the window pane first…”

Ranboo shared no such memories. He felt so out of place.

“… I think I remember winning a lot more than Techno, which was a surprise back then.”

Ranboo was a bit of a freak of nature, so he hadn’t had the most normal childhood. If he had siblings, he’d never met them. He figured a sibling was somewhat like a friend that just never left the house. At least, he had until he’d arrived at the SMP and seen what that looked like up close. He never knew they killed each other. Or, at least tried to. Or huddled in the other’s basement. Nothing made sense in the SMP.

“… Ranboo?” Wilbur asked softly, “You look upset. Do you need some blue?”

“No, no, that’s okay,” He assured, “… I’m just confused.”

“About what?”

“So… like, Techno… tried to kill Tommy with the withers, right?”

Wilbur was already frowning, “You know I don’t remember these things, and I’d really rather not talk about that day—“

“I know, I’m just saying… and Alivebur betrayed Tommy, right? To blow up L’manberg.”

“Ranboo, I’d _seriously_ rather you not mention him—“

“But now you’re Ghostbur and Tommy’s forgiven you? Even after that?”

“Well…” Wilbur folded his arms uncomfortably, “He hasn’t forgiven Alivebur, I’m sure. But Alivebur is dead. I’m different; I’m Ghostbur, so he has nothing to forgive me for!”

If Ranboo had more patience, he would have launched into a talk about how unfair that was to the kid, to just brush that aside with no accountability, but he knew others had tried to reason as such with the ghost to no avail. So he sighed and shook his head. “Nevermind, just… focus on the Techno and Tommy part.”

“… Okay.”

“Techno tried to kill him… but now he’s helping him… and I know Tommy _says_ he hates him, but—“

“Oh, he doesn’t,” Wilbur finished.

“Exactly. And I don’t get it.”

The ground beneath Ranboo’s foot crunched, and he looked down and saw snow, then looked up and noticed that the rain had turned to soft flurries. He kept the umbrella open for Wilbur, unsure if the snow would still hurt him or not. For Ranboo, snow was usually manageable; less like paper cuts and more like pinches.

“What isn’t there to get?” Out there, in the lack of pattering rain and rustling greenery, Wilbur’s voice, even so soft, seemed to carry far over the landscape for miles.

“Well it seems like a, uh… quick turnaround, you know?”

Wilbur turned to him, smile as gentle as ever. Sounding wise beyond his living years, he explained, “We don’t get to choose the family we’re born into. We only get to choose if we stay in it or not. And sometimes we stay, and sometimes we leave, and sometimes we come back. Sometimes, we even decide to find a new family altogether.” Ranboo tensed as Wilbur rested a hand on his back. He had never been as heat sensitive as most humans were, but the touch sent a rush of cold down his spine. He imagined that, in summer, it would feel like a refreshing breeze blowing past the collar of his shirt. “I’ve been noticing things. You know what I’ve been noticing?”

“What?”

“I’ve noticed that everyone seems to really want something, and— and it’s a little scary, what they’re willing to do to get what they want. But… I know it won’t last forever, you know why?”

Ranboo glanced off to the side. He doubted that any of this would ever end, but he wouldn’t crush Wilbur’s optimism. He’d never try and purposely make someone lose hope. He’d been with Tommy for parts of his exile. He knew what that did to a person. “… Why?”

Wilbur retracted his hand, then brought it forward again to tap a finger to Ranboo’s chest. “Because they’re going to start remembering what the most important thing is; their family, whatever they might choose for that to be. Like L’manberg— it’s ideals aren’t to be a government, but a people, and they’re gonna remember that.”

Silently, Ranboo seriously doubted that. The morals of that country had fogged incomprehensibly long before he’d ever arrived. Out loud, he asked, “You really think that will happen?”

Wilbur grinned at him. “It already is.” He pointed a finger across the snowy plains. Techno’s house stood proud in the distance, along with another structure beside it, which must’ve been Wilburs home. In the distance, a hideous cobblestone tower stood proud, and at least Ranboo knew Techno hadn’t ratted Tommy out to Dream yet. But where Wilbur pointed, the fearsome blood god stood, stroking the muzzle of his gentle steed with his hotheaded blond brother beside him. Techno stepped aside, and Tommy stepped forward, raising a hand to Carl’s face, who didn’t hesitate in leaning his head forward and nuzzling into it. Ranboo swore he heard a, “He likes me!”, But it was hard to tell. Techno gazed between the two, and though Ranboo couldn’t distinguish his expression, his posture was relaxed and unthreatening, even as he seemed to stand as a strong, unchanging barrier to protect Tommy from the wind.

Although this interaction was truly nothing special, Ranboo was struck with the feeling that he’d just witnessed something deeply intimate and personal.

Such sights were never seen in L’manberg. Only men huddled around tables with hushed and rushed voices, and ramrod stiff postures caused by constant stress, and glancing over shoulders in bouts of alert fear, and mournful gazes peeping out from windows, and the occasional hum of an empty anthem filled with false promise.

Ranboo had never liked the snow. It was just slower, softer rain. But out here, it looked soft and unthreatening, like powdered sugar, or dandelion fuzz drifting on the wind. It danced. He almost wanted to touch it.

L’manberg didn’t have snow.

L’manberg just had rain.

Ranboo realized very suddenly how much he dreaded returning to L’manberg.

Techno’s gaze snapped up, hand flying to his sword’s hilt as he noticed the presence of the two men watching him from the horizon. He even grabbed Tommy by the shoulder and pushed him behind himself to shield him from sight. But when he realized who it was, and when Wilbur waved enthusiastically with a call of, “Hi Techno! Hi! I brought Ranboo! He walked me home,” he relaxed. Tommy stepped out from behind him, and despite his indignant chatter that Ranboo could barely distinguish, he kept glancing up at his older brother with what Ranboo could only think to describe as apprehensive gratitude.

“I think I understand what you mean,” Ranboo said quietly to Wilbur. He understood, and he craved it.

Wilbur looked him up and down, and as naive as the ghost was, sometimes Ranboo felt like he could stare straight into him and pinpoint exactly how he felt. Wilbur stopped walking to turn Ranboo entirely, resting his barely-there hands overtop of Ranboo’s where he held the umbrella. He gave him the softest smile Ranboo had ever received, and Ranboo felt warmed just by its glow.

“Would you like to stay for dinner?” The ghost offered.

_Because they’re going to start remembering what the most important thing is; their family, whatever they might choose for that to be._

“I’d like that,” Ranboo affirmed. Anything to stay out of the rain just a little longer.

**Author's Note:**

> Ghostbur, externally: "Would you like to stay for dinner?"  
> Ghostbur, internally: "WOULD YOU LIKE TO STAY FOREVER?"
> 
> Check out my [Tumblr](https://lacystar.tumblr.com)!


End file.
